Flights fiasco.

Byline: By Jamie Diffley

Would-be holidaymakers were stranded at Newcastle Airport today because their easyJet flights were not insured.

The planes were grounded after an administration blunder meant the correct documents were not on board.

Two flights from Newcastle were affected, with 240 passengers stranded, and a number of others across the country were also affected.

The EZY6427 flight to Nice was due to take off at 6.30am, and the EZY551 Belfast International-bound flight was due to leave an hour later.

But, although loaded with luggage and passengers, neither flight was permitted to leave. They eventually left at about 8.45am. An airport source said: "People are fuming. It's the start of the bank holiday and people just want to go away for the weekend and not sit on a plane on the tarmac.

"What a time to realise the planes are not insured! It's unbelievable."

easyJet officials have promised to hold an inquiry into the blunder.

A spokesman said a change of circumstances, which came into effect last night, was the cause of the oversight.

He explained: "It was discovered this morning that some of the aircraft did not have the correct insurance documentation on board and we're endeavouring to put that right.

"We got all the aircraft away and did not cancel any flights. They left at around 8.45am."

A spokesman for Newcastle Airport said: "There have been no cancellations of flights and we got them away as soon as possible.

"The aircraft were in place, the crews were in place and the pilots were in place. We were just waiting for the confirmation of insurance from easyJet.

"The flights could not leave until the insurance came through."

easyJet has a total of 153 routes between 44 business and leisure airports.

The cut-price company offers 12 different destinations from Newcastle, including the launch of a Berlin flight today.

Airport officials were expecting today to be the start of one of the busiest periods of the year.

As well as the start to the bank holiday weekend, it is also the start of the holiday season with almost three million passengers expected to pass through the terminal on charter and scheduled services between May and October, an increase of 22% from last year.

NWere you on the easyJet flights grounded today? Contact Owen McAteer on [phone].